My thoughts as I walk this path…

Seeing then that we have a great high Priest…
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast our profession.
Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need

Our great Helper in prayer is the Lord Jesus Christ,
our Advocate with the Father, our Great High Priest,
whose chief ministry for us
these centuries has been intercession and prayer.
He it is who takes our imperfect petitions from our hands,
cleanses them from their defects,
corrects their faults,
and then claims their answer from His Father on His own account
and through His all-atoning merits and righteousness.

Brother, are you fainting in prayer?
Look up.
Your blessed Advocate has already claimed your answer,
and you would grieve and disappoint Him
if you were to give up the conflict in the very moment
when victory is on its way to meet you.
He has gone in for you into the inner chamber,
and already holds up your name upon the palms of His hands;
and the messenger, which is to bring you your blessing,
is now on his way,
and the Spirit is only waiting your trust
to whisper in your heart the echo of the answer from the throne,
“It is done.”
–A. B. Simpson

I’ve many a cross to take up now,
And many left behind;
But present troubles move me not,
Nor shake my quiet mind.
And what may be to-morrow’s cross
I never seek to find;
My Father says, “Leave that to me,
And keep a quiet mind.”
ANON.

Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD. 1 Kings 12:24

My child, I have a message for you today; let me whisper it in your ear, that it may gild with glory any storm clouds which may arise , and smooth the rough places upon which you may have to tread. It is short, only five words, but let them sink into your inmost soul; use them as a pillow upon which to rest your weary head. This thing is from ME.

Have you ever thought of it, that all that concerns you concerns Me too? For, “he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye” (Zech.2:8).You are very precious in my sight (Isaiah 43:4). Therefore, it is My special delight to educate you.

I would have you learn when temptations assail you, and the “enemy comes in like a flood,” that this thing is from Me, that your weakness needs My might, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not under-stand you, who never consult your taste, who put you in the background? This thing is from Me. I am the God of circumstances, Thou camest not to thy place by accident, it is the very place God meant for thee.

Have you not asked to be made humble? See then, I have placed you in the very school where this lesson is taught; your surroundings and companions are working out My will.

Are you in money difficulties? Is it hard to make both ends meet? This thing is from Me, for I am your purse-bearer and would have you draw from and depend upon Me. My supplies are limitless (Philippians 4:19). I would have you prove My promises. Let it not be said of you, “In this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 1:32).

Are you passing through a night of sorrow? This thing is from Me. I am the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. I have let earthly comforters fail you, that by turning to Me you may obtain everlasting consolation (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). Have you longed to do some great work for Me and instead have been laid aside on a bed of pain and weakness? This thing is from Me. I could not get your attention in your busy days and I want to teach you some of My deepest lessons. “They also serve who only stand and wait,” Some of My greatest workers are those shut of from active service, that they may learn to wield the weapon of all-prayer.

This day I place in your hand this pot of holy oil.
Make use of it free, My child,
Let every circumstance that arises,
every word that pains you,
every interruption that would make you impatient,
every revelation of your weakness be anointed with it.
The sting will do as you learn to see Me in all things.
Laura A. Barter Snow

I love the thought of anointing all situations in my life with His holy oil, consecrating them to His use through me. I’m not too good at this; often I get too involved to stop, step back and ask for God’s grace and strength, but I’ll continue to try. Maybe a little oil can on my desk would be a good reminder.

And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth,
have not a cake,
but an handful of meal in a barrel,
and a little oil in a cruse:
and, behold, I am gathering two sticks,
I may go in and dress it for me and my son,
that we may eat it, and die.
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not;
go and do as thou hast said:
but make me thereof a little cake first,
and bring it unto me,
and after make for thee and for thy son.
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel,
The barrel of meal shall not waste,
neither shall the cruse of oil fail,
until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah:
and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
And the barrel of meal wasted not,
neither did the cruse of oil fail,
according to the word of the LORD,
which he spake by Elijah.
1Kings 17:12-16

But what if . . .
what if the widow had not believed the words of the prophet?

What if she had not picked up that curse of oil the next morning
to fix the breakfast cake

What if she had not reached in to the bag

Did she wonder as she picked up the flour scoop
Did her hand tremble?
Did she cry
“LORD! HELP MY UNBELIEF!”

She was just like me
measuring out for days the amount left
in the bag and in the cruse.

Making each cake in the morning and in the evening
just a little smaller
just a little drier
knowing on what day
everything would be gone.

The day came
and as she looked in her little son’s eyes
she said,
Come, let us gather the sticks for today’s breakfast.

As they walk down the same lane
they had walked day after day
they met a man
who asked her to give everything she had to him first.

Remembering mine affliction and my misery,
the wormwood and the gall.
My soul hath them still in remembrance,
and is humbled in me.
This I recall to my mind,
therefore have I hope.
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:19-23

For five minutes of free writing.
“This is meant to be a free write, which means:
no editing, no over-thinking,
no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.
Just write.”

Today’s prompt- Refine

Refine – to bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities

The Bible character, Job, comes to my mind
whenever I think of refining.
We know Job’s story,
A good man in God’s sight,
yet he was allowed to be tried
in every way, only sparing his life.

His losses beyond belief.
His wife, so completely filled with grief,
questions his faith.
His friends, after stony silence,
and sure that his actions somehow
caused all this tragedy,
advise him, but offer no comfort.

Job, as my example, in my hard places
(though when compared with Job’s are as dust)
I, too, will trust in God
who knows the way that I take
and promises He will never leave me or forsake me.

Job 23:1-10
Then Job answered and said,
Even to day is my complaint bitter:
my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
Oh that I knew where I might find him!
that I might come even to his seat!
I would order my cause before him,
and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know the words which he would answer me,
and understand what he would say unto me.
Will he plead against me with his great power?
No; but he would put strength in me.
There the righteous might dispute with him;
so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;
and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
On the left hand, where he doth work,
but I cannot behold him:
he hideth himself on the right hand,
that I cannot see him:
But he knoweth the way that I take:
when he hath tried me,
I shall come forth as gold.

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.

Those that wait on me will gain new strength.
Spending time alone withMe is so good for you,
but it is increasingly countercultural.

(I had to look up countercultural – a way of life and a set of ideas that are completely different from
those accepted by most of society)

Multitaking and staying busy
have become the norm.
So I encourage you to break free
from all the activity
and demands for a while.
During the Advent season,
there are even more things
to be done and places to go.Seek My Face and enjoy My Presence,
remembering that Christmas is all about Me.

Waiting upon Me is an act of faith–
trusting that prayer really does make a difference.Come unto Me with your weariness and your burdens,
being candid and real with Me.

Matthew 11:28
Come unto me,
all ye that labour
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.

Rest in My Presence, and tell Me about your concerns.
Let Me lift the burdens from your aching shoulders.
Trust that I an able to do exceedingly abundantly abouve all you ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20-21
Now unto him that is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

As you arise from these quiet moments,
hear Me whispering, “I am with you” throughout the day.
Rejoice in the new strength you have gained
through spending time with Me.
Devotional reading from Jesus Always, Sarah Young

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I say unto you,
Take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat,
or what ye shall drink;
nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than meat,
and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air:
for they sow not,
neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought
can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow;
they toil not,
neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you,
That even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore,
if God so clothe the grass of the field,
which to day is,
and to morrow is cast into the oven,
shall he not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought,
saying,
What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)
for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him;
and He shall bring it to pass Psalm 37:5

“Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust!
Ah, it is here we fail! We give the wheel
Of our small bark to Him; but then we trust
Our hand upon His hand,
And dare to stand
Beside our Master, lest He wreck our keel.

“Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust!”
Leave all to Him; believe He knows thy course,
Thy dangers, and thy safety–all–then just
Abandon all to Him;
So shalt thou skim,
Borne briskly on before the Spirit’s force.

“Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust!”
There is an “also” we too oft forget,
And so are plagued and worried. Oh, we must
“Trust also,” then our soul
Shall cease to roll
In restlessness and reason and regret!

Commit! and then, committed, trust His Word!
Has He not said that He will bring thee through?
Trust His strong arm; and when wild storms are heard.
Believe He holds them still
By His strong will.
Trust Him., the Wise, the Faithful, and the True.

Trust Him to manage all that thou dost now
Commit to Him–the ship–the sails–the sea–
The sailors, thy strange crew. And ask not how
He will do for thee.
But trustful be.
Lie down and rest from anxious worry free.
~~Unknown

When the Farmer isn’t gardening, weeding, or watering;
you might find him here.

Good Morning

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Psalm 56:3

When is the time to trust?
Is it when all is calm,
When waves the victor’s palm,
Of joy and praise!
Nay! but the time to trust
Is when the waves beat high,
When storm clouds fill the sky,
And prayer is one long cry,
O help and save!

When is the time to trust?
Is it when friends are true?
It is when comforts woo,
And in all we say and do
We meet but praise?
Nay! but the time to trust
Is when we stand alone,
And summer birds have flown,
And every prop is gone,
All else but God.

What is the time to trust?
It is some future day,
When you have tried your way,
And learned to trust and pray
By bitter woe?
Nay! but the time to trust
Is in this moment’s need,
Poor, broken, bruised reed!
Poor, troubled soul, make speed
To trust thy God.

What is the time trust?
Is it when hopes beat high,
When sunshine gilds the sky,
And joy and ecstasy
Fill all the heart?
Nay! but the time to trust
Is when our joy is fled.
When sorrow bows the heard,
All else but God. Selected.

All I could whisper was “Jesus”
I was torn in the depths of despair.
All I could whisper was Jesus
His name alone was my prayer.

All I could murmur was Jesus.
He knew all my struggles and pain.
He knew my requests all unspoken
While I softly cried out His name.

Bound in the depth of His mercy
Held fast in the shade of His care,
His sweet gentle name was my refuge,
Anchored safe in that harbor of prayer.

Still, all I could whisper was Jesus.
All I could say was His name.
All I could whisper was Jesus,
But He knew my prayers just the same!

Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].
For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
Hebrews 4:14-16 Amplified Bible

This week we are going to take a walk down the berry vine, sunflower and zinnia row at Cozy Acres.Raspberries

Good Morning,

Psalms 112:7 . . . his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

Before my window is a beautiful branch of a tree now in full spring dress. Only a few weeks ago that same branch was loaded with ice–it seemed as if it must break! I remember one hour; it seemed it could not keep up. I expected to see it give way; but it did not break, Today it is beautiful!
There are many in this sad world who are as my bare branch was–loaded with ice. Their sorrows seem like hailstorms, and how to keep up, how to hold on, seems to be the one vital question. If one such should read about my branch, let me say to that one,

“Don’t break; cling for your life to the one truth, that God has not forgotten you! He holds the winds in His fists; and the waves that now seem as though they would swallow you up, in the hollow of His hands.”

And so, by simple faith in God’s goodness and love you hold on, and when in the future–like the branch near my window–it shall be all spring with you, you will remember your sorrows as waters that have passed away.

“Hold on! It is not always winter; spring is coming. The birds are yet to sing on the very branch loaded with ice. Only, don’t break.

My branch did not have a will of its own, but we have wills, and God can energize them. We must use our wills and say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,” and He never slays but to make alive.Thus trusting,
though you may bend in the blast,you will not break;
you will hold on;
you will see your Spring!

Grissabell is more camera friendly.(opps, for some WordPress reason to see Griss, click the space.)

Good Morning

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. Psalm 57:1-2

The beautiful old translation says,
“He shall perform the cause which I have in hand.”
Does that make it very real to us today?
Just the very thing that “I have in hand”–
my own particular bit of work today,
this cause that I cannot manage,
this thing that I undertook in miscalculation of my own powers–
this is what I may ask Him to do “for me”
and rest assured that He will perform it.
“The wise and their works are in the hands of God.” Havergal.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:3-5

The translation that we find in Young of “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass,” reads: “Roll upon Jehovah thy way; trust upon him: and he worketh.”
It calls our attention to the immediate action of God when we truly commit or roll out our hands into His, the burden of whatever kind it may be; a way of sorrow, of difficulty, of physical need, or of anxiety for the conversion of some dear one.“He worketh.”
When? Now.
We are so in danger of postponing our expectation of His acceptance of the trust,and His undertaking to accomplish what we ask Him to do, instead of saying as we commit,“He worketh.”
“He worketh” even now; and praise Him that it is do.
The very expectancy enables the Holy Spirit to do the very thing we have rolled upon Him.
It is out of our reach.
We are not trying to do it any more..“He worketh.”
Let us take the comfort out of it and not put our hands on it again.
OH, what a relief it brings!
He is really working on the difficulty.
But someone may say, “I see not results.”
Never mind.
“He worketh.”
if you have rolled it over and are looking to Jesus to do it.
Faith may be tested, but “He worketh;” the Word is sure! –V.H.F.

Even after being gnawed on by the slugs, this zinnia is determined to grow. Grow ON!

Good Morning,

Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you 1Peter 5:7

I have a Friend, whose faithful love,
Is more than all the world to me,
‘Tis higher than the heights above,
And deeper than the soundless sea

So old, so new,
So strong so true;

Before the earth received its frame
He loved me–Blessed be His name! Unknown.

John Bunyan Smith wrote, “Let us turn our fears into faith, and quit worrying over the thing that has not and never will happen.”

Don’t let tomorrow use too much of today!

The refusal to worry does not mean lack of concern. Too many people have that. But though one cares greatly, when he has done all he can to prevent the evil or bring the good to past, he has a right to trust in God.

It is good that a man should both
hope and quietly wait
for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:26